In an S.E.C. filing, Motorola outlined its plans to separate its Mobile Devices and Home businesses from its Enterprise Mobility Solutions and Networks businesses. The separation will be accomplished through a series of transactions in which the assets, liabilities and operations of the Mobile Devices and Home businesses on a global basis will be transferred to a new company called Motorola SpinCo.
Motorola’s Board of Directors cited several benefits for the separation, including:
- Strategic Focus. Allow each independent company to design and implement corporate strategies and
policies that are based on the industries that it serves. - Management Focus. Allow management of each independent company to concentrate that company’s resources wholly on its particular markets, customers and core business opportunities. Motorola SpinCo will focus on the convergence of mobility, media and the Internet with new devices, applications and services for consumers in their home or on the go. Motorola Inc. will focus on enterprise systems, products and related services, and on its wireless networks and related telecommunication customers.
- Access to Capital. Remove the need for the businesses to compete internally for capital.
- Strategic Flexibility. Each company would gain flexibility to make acquisitions and form partnerships and alliances in its target markets, unencumbered by considerations of the potential impact on the businesses of the other company.
- Investor Choice. Provide investors in each company with a more targeted investment opportunity.
The filing details the recently financial performance of Motorola SpinCo and notes several risk factors for investors, including the losses for Motorola’s mobile handset business in recent years, and the potentially negative impact on Motorola’s set-top box sales to cable operators from possible changes in FCC regulation regarding set-top box functionality.http://investor.motorola.com/
